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Burlco woman, 67, killed by her Doberman



 
 
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Old September 9th 03, 05:21 PM
phillydog
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Default Burlco woman, 67, killed by her Doberman

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/6726088.htm

Posted on Tue, Sep. 09, 2003

Burlco woman, 67, killed by her Doberman, police say
By Troy Graham and Joel Bewley
Inquirer Staff Writers

MEDFORD - A 67-year-old woman discovered dead in her Stokes Road home Sunday
night was killed by the Doberman pinscher she had adopted just 10 days
earlier, authorities said.

Valerie deSwart, a mother of two grown children, was found on her bedroom
floor by her live-in boyfriend after he returned from work just before 10
p.m., police said.

Because of severe trauma to her neck and head, investigators initially
treated the case as a homicide. Dog bites can resemble stab wounds, Medford
Police Chief Edwin E. Wood said.

"There were a lot of things that raised suspicions," he said. "We had to
treat it like a very serious, violent crime."

An autopsy yesterday, however, determined that deSwart had been mauled by
her male Doberman, which weighs between 90 and 100 pounds. She died from
blood loss, according to the autopsy.

DeSwart was home alone with the dog when the attack occurred, police said.

"We'll probably never know what precipitated it," Wood said. "I've heard [of
similar incidents] but never witnessed anything like an attack of this
nature."

DeSwart adopted the 3-year-old dog, named Luger, from a Newark shelter run
by the Associated Humane Societies, which operates four animal-care centers
in the state and popular Popcorn Park Zoo in Ocean County. The woman, who
had owned Dobermans previously, found Luger through the Web site
Petfinder.com, which links to the Associated Humane Societies, police said.

"She was just partial to the breed," Wood said.

The dog had been left at the organization's Newark shelter after he bit his
previous owner, Wood said. Police had not yet interviewed the previous
owner. Wood said he did not know if deSwart had been told about the dog's
history.

The Newark shelter, which also houses the organization's executive offices,
was closed last night, and no one answered the phone there.

Wood said that the dog had been at the shelter 87 days before deSwart
adopted him, and that the staff reported that Luger had been "calm and
docile."

"They have a lot of people come through, the public touching the dog... and
there weren't any problems," the chief said.

A rope had been tied across the gravel road leading to deSwart's home last
night.

Two men who came down the driveway in a pickup declined to comment.
Neighbors in this rural section of Medford said either they had not heard
about the attack or would not comment.

When deSwart's longtime boyfriend, whose name was not released, discovered
her in the bedroom, the dog was lying on a comforter on the floor in the
same room, police said. Police even cared for the dog during the
investigation.

"Some of the officers were petting it at the periphery of the crime scene,"
Wood said. "It was docile, calm - only one incident where it growled at an
officer."

DeSwart's boyfriend was with the police most of the night and was not left
alone with the dog after the attack, the chief said.

Last night, the dog was lodged at Garden State Humane Society in Pennsauken,
where he will remain until Medford officials can sort out his future. State
law and township ordinance provide for the destruction of dogs that prove
vicious.

"We're looking at what procedures are necessary," Wood said. "It's a very
tragic and unfortunate event."


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Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 856-779-3893 or .




 




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